comprehensive musicianship through performance
a.m. sectional when things aren’t going well, and because he’s a natural leader the other students comply. We often need to work around the schedules our busy students have (and it can feel like we’re always being asked to be flexible!) but we know students like Connor are vital to the success of our program. When he’s asked to lead other students, we see the results of providing that flexibility when our percussionists achieve more in that next sectional.
Points to Ponder for You to Use in Developing Your Own Philosophy We found ourselves asking a lot of im- portant questions as we articulated our philosophy, and we hope these can be questions that help you develop and/or strengthen your philosophy:
1. What is it that keeps kids involved in music?
2. How do we serve kids that have no intention of going on in music?
3. What are the most important performance opportunities we need to provide for our students?
4. How do we ensure student satisfaction and fulfillment?
5. What should be the focus of our program? (music, kids, entertainment, competition, etc.)
6. How do we address student success when we have challenging student/ teacher ratios?
7. How is our program viewed by the community?
8. How should a band fit into the school culture?
9. How are our students perceived by the non-musicians of the school?
10. How do we hook kids into staying involved in music when they face so many choices?
11. How do we encourage student autonomy when they work in a large group?
12. Does our program reflect what we value?
13. What do we value more, quality or quantity?
14. Who is welcome in your program (what about bad players, hesitant participants, snotty attitudes, etc.)?
15. Do students sense you value their participation because you value them as people or because you really needed a bassoon player?
16. What does the greater student body think of your program? Does it matter (does it impact who might sign-up for your elective/is peer pressure accounted for)?
17. What does the community think of your program? Does it matter (might it impact district financial support)?
18. Are you viewed as an employee who provides as much support to others as you expect from them?
Kellen Dorner, Will Janssen and Patty Schlafer teach instrumental music in the Mount Horeb Area School District.
Email:
dornerkellen@mhasd.k12.wi.us;
janssenwill@mhasd.k12.wi.us;
schlaferpatty@mhasd.k12.wi.us
http://bit.ly/NAfMEBackpack Wisconsin School Musician 21
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